William C Wimsatt
Biographic Data
| ID | 1084633 |
|---|---|
| NAME | William C Wimsatt |
| GIVEN NAMES | William C |
| FAMILY NAME | Wimsatt |
| SIGNATURE | WIMSATT W C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Chicago |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 84 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 9 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1970 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2019 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Beyond the Meme
Entrenchment and Scaffolding
Developing Scaffolds in Evolution, Culture, and Cognition
Articulating Babel
Re-Engineering Philosophy for Limited Beings
Reductionism and its heuristics
Using False Models to Elaborate Constraints on Processes
Scientific models may be more useful for false assumptions they make than true ones when one is interested not in the fit of the model, but in the form of the residuals. Modeling Darwin's (false) “blending” theory of inheritance shows how it illuminates features of Mendelian theory. Insufficient understanding of it leads to incorrect moves in modeling population structure. But it may prove even more useful for organizing a theory of cultural evol…
Simple Systems and Phylogenetic Diversity
The simple systems methodology is a powerful reductionistic research strategy. It has problems as implemented in developmental genetics because the organisms studied are few and unrepresentative. Stronger inferences require independent arguments that key traits are widely distributed phylogenetically. Evolutionary and developmental mechanisms of generative entrenchment and self-organization provide possible support, and are also necessary compone…
Aggregativity
Most philosophical accounts of emergence are incompatible with reduction. Most scientists regard a system property as emergent relative to properties of the system's parts if it depends upon their mode of organization—a view consistent with reduction. Emergence can be analyzed as a failure of aggregativity—a state in which “the whole is nothing more than the sum of its parts.” Aggregativity requires four conditions, giving tools for analyzing mod…
Randomness and perceived-randomness in evolutionary biology
The Logic of Social Inquiry
Aggregativity
Most philosophical accounts of emergence are incompatible with reduction. Most scientists regard a system property as emergent relative to properties of the system's parts if it depends upon their mode of organization—a view consistent with reduction. Emergence can be analyzed as a failure of aggregativity—a state in which “the whole is nothing more than the sum of its parts.” Aggregativity requires four conditions, giving tools for analyzing mod…
The Logic of Social Inquiry
Reductionism and its heuristics
Randomness and perceived-randomness in evolutionary biology
Articulating Babel
Simple Systems and Phylogenetic Diversity
The simple systems methodology is a powerful reductionistic research strategy. It has problems as implemented in developmental genetics because the organisms studied are few and unrepresentative. Stronger inferences require independent arguments that key traits are widely distributed phylogenetically. Evolutionary and developmental mechanisms of generative entrenchment and self-organization provide possible support, and are also necessary compone…
Using False Models to Elaborate Constraints on Processes
Scientific models may be more useful for false assumptions they make than true ones when one is interested not in the fit of the model, but in the form of the residuals. Modeling Darwin's (false) “blending” theory of inheritance shows how it illuminates features of Mendelian theory. Insufficient understanding of it leads to incorrect moves in modeling population structure. But it may prove even more useful for organizing a theory of cultural evol…
The Logic of Social Inquiry
Randomness and perceived-randomness in evolutionary biology
Aggregativity
Most philosophical accounts of emergence are incompatible with reduction. Most scientists regard a system property as emergent relative to properties of the system's parts if it depends upon their mode of organization—a view consistent with reduction. Emergence can be analyzed as a failure of aggregativity—a state in which “the whole is nothing more than the sum of its parts.” Aggregativity requires four conditions, giving tools for analyzing mod…
Simple Systems and Phylogenetic Diversity
The simple systems methodology is a powerful reductionistic research strategy. It has problems as implemented in developmental genetics because the organisms studied are few and unrepresentative. Stronger inferences require independent arguments that key traits are widely distributed phylogenetically. Evolutionary and developmental mechanisms of generative entrenchment and self-organization provide possible support, and are also necessary compone…
Using False Models to Elaborate Constraints on Processes
Scientific models may be more useful for false assumptions they make than true ones when one is interested not in the fit of the model, but in the form of the residuals. Modeling Darwin's (false) “blending” theory of inheritance shows how it illuminates features of Mendelian theory. Insufficient understanding of it leads to incorrect moves in modeling population structure. But it may prove even more useful for organizing a theory of cultural evol…
Reductionism and its heuristics
Re-Engineering Philosophy for Limited Beings
Entrenchment and Scaffolding
Developing Scaffolds in Evolution, Culture, and Cognition
Articulating Babel
Beyond the Meme
Epistemology (8 works) · Computer Science (7 works) · Philosophy (7 works) · Biology (4 works) · Philosophy and History of Science (4 works) · Psychology (4 works) · Sociology (4 works) · Cognitive science (3 works) · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation (3 works) · Language and cultural evolution (3 works)